Gardening Articles: Landscaping :: Trees, Shrubs, & Vines

New Tri-Colored Japanese Maple

by Charlie Nardozzi

Fall is for tree planting. The warm soils and cool, rainy days create perfect conditions for tree roots to grow before the cold days of winter. Japanese maple is a favorite specimen tree of many gardeners, and now comes a new selection that features tri-colored leaves.

'Gwen's Rose Delight' Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Shirazz') grows 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide at maturity with a weeping habit. The heat-resistant, deeply cut foliage unfurls in spring, featuring crimson-pink leaves and white margins. The color holds well in summer. In fall the leaves turn a brilliant crimson. 'Gwen's Rose Delight' grows best in full sun on well drained soil and is hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9.

For more information on this new Japanese maple variety, go to: Willoway Nursery.